Christmas Card Club Challenge #20- Gifts, Ribbons & Bows.

 Well another fortnight has flown past, and we are again showing our cards for another Christmas Card Club.

As well as the fortnightly theme, we also have the option of Anything Goes, and this challenge is Zoe's choice, she wanted to see Gifts, Ribbons & Bows on our cards. 

 I had a search, and couldn't find anything in my stash for gifts, although the new stencil I chose to use does feature a nice big bow, so mine are a bit of the challenge, and a bit of Anything Goes.

The Stencil is from Sweet Poppy, and many of you have probably seen a lot of cards made using it on Facebook. It's been so popular, Lucy has really struggled to keep up with demand.

The baubles are done by inking through the stencil, then adding some stamping to the centre. As you see, I did 3, but only have 2 finished cards. The one on the left wasn't going well, the image is actually set within an oblong frame, and I remembered not to ink the frame at the bottom, and completely forgot not to ink the top! Didn't like how that looked, so tried to fix it by inking the remaining part of the bauble with the same ink. That didn't go too well, it was drying out blotchy, so I thought I'd die cut a circle from double sided adhesive sheet, and sprinkle with Glamour Dust, which should even out the background a bit. I should have just tossed it in the beginning! Cut the sheet and stuck it down, grabbed my Glamourdust and sprinkled it- and it wasn't the Crystal Glamourdust that I'd intended to use, but a gold one that completely hid the design. So thats the point when I accepted every attempt to fix it just made it worse, and tossed it. But I will do some more, using that stamp, as it will look good, if I do it properly, lol.

So these are the two I ended up with. On the red bow I added a little Translucent stencil paste, and some crystal glitter. The stamped image is from Inkylicious.

The blue one is stamped with an image from a Card-io set, called Winter Fun. The set contains a few other images, and two sizes of this one, a larger and a small. This is the larger one. I matted them onto some pale blue card, added some silvery snowflake paper from my stash to the card base, then added a peel off greeting. 

WOYWW #565- The Still Hangin in there Edition.

Please tell me I'm not alone in not knowing what day of the week it is!  In fact, it's so bad now that the only day I know is Wednesday- for WOYWW and the day we need to put the bins out! So, it's time again to link up over at Julia's place, The Stamping Ground, and show your desk to the world.

Desk shot number one, tubs of punched out flowers, to help finish off another batch of UFO's.










This batch, to be precise.

One down, about 10 left to go. All made by die cutting cardstock with Tim Holtz Mixed Media dies, then backing them with some pre made backgrounds, mainly alcohol inked ones.

I've got a few backgrounds to stamp on here, extras from the weekends Christmas Card making.
 I've seen Eileen Godwin make these backgrounds, really simple, just mask off a strip of cardstock, and sponge or brush some inks into the space.Then add some stamping. Eileen usually does these as one layer cards, but I'm not actually brave enough to stamp straight onto my card base, so mine end up being matted and layered, but they still come out really thin, so good for posting.

The reason I had extra backgrounds- I started the Christmas cards using the tag stamp on the far right, then remembered I had those Celtic Candle pieces I'd glittered, and wanted something fairly minimal to go behind them. It also worked perfectly for the stamped red candles using Cardio stamps- Christmas by Candlelight.
 I'd expect the tag stamp is long discontinued, I don't even recall who made it, and the Celtic Candles was a red rubber stamp by Aspects of Design, also I think long retired, but there is a larger version, which I have but didn't use, and that one was available as a Woodware clear stamp last Christmas. And with that, I'm done. One quick message for Ali Wade, I have been visiting, but when I try to leave a comment, I get a message come up that seems to think it's a bot attempting to leave it. I think Neet was having the same problem too. I hope everyone is still well, and looking after yourselves.

 Which just leaves ...........And Finally..............., and again, you get a twofer this week.


Which is why I have so many UFO'S!!!!!!!

And this is most definitely true.😇

Christmas Card Club #7- Christmas Candles.

Finally getting to post today!Rita has chosen this theme, and she'd like us to feature Christmas Candles. You now how doing one thing can spark off another idea, and then that one gives you yet another? I started with one idea,using this tag stamp. I have no idea who made it, it's far more years old than I'd like to think! I can only tell you it's a clear stamp. I stamped it, then coloured using Prismacolor pencils. The vellum panels came from some vellum I found in my Christmas papers box, and I also added some tiny acrylic stars to the tag background. I've had those ages too, I ordered them to use as Tree star toppers, but when they arrived they were too tiny for that to work.
 I trimmed the cards upper corners to match the tag shape.
 It was while looking in my Papers box, I spotted the wallet with my glittered pieces in, and recalled I had some lovely Celtic Knot style candles in there. So that made another half dozen cards.

The sponged/brushed strip is an idea I've seen Eileen Godwin use a lot, just masking off the front of the card, and gently applying inks of your choice. I'm not brave enough to work directly on my card base yet, lol, so mine are matted and layered.
 The candles are attached with a little Matte Medium, and I've used some peel off sentiments.

These were the final 4, I have a Card-io stamp set called Christmas by Candlelight, and wanted to use that.

To get the candles standing in Holly took a bit of thought, but finally figured it out.

I stamped two Holly Branches, which is a Lavinia stamp, and used Archival Leaf Green for that.

  
I wasn't going to cut masks for the holly leaves, so I tore roughly a sheet of kitchen paper, and used that to cover the holly.

 

Any spaces left between the candle and holly I could draw in afterwards. I'd stamped in Distress Archival Ink Barn Door, so I could use the Distress Marker for that.

Finished the stamping by adding the candle flames, then coloured the candles with the Prismacolor pencils again.


I also added some half pearls to the holly for berries, and then finally some Glossy Accents to the flames, sprinkled with a tiny bit of Glamour Dust for some sparkle.

Again, I added a peel off greeting. Partly because I'm trying to use them all up, and partly because I forgot about heat embossing until I'd matted & layered the card front, and the heat would have released the adhesive!
 So, after starting with 3, I ended up with a massive 13 for this fortnights challenge.

Christmas Card Club Challenge #4- Birds

Our fourth Challenge of the year, and this one has been chosen by a new member, Gwen, who asked for Birds. I've chosen to use Card-io and Rubber Stamp Tapestry stamps to create mine.




Two are very similar, using mostly the same stamps.
 I did two, as the first one I did, the darker edged one, I thought may be a little too dark and busy.

I started in both cases by stamping the Snow Globe, Card-io Crystal Globe, then stamping a mask to cover the outside of the Globe. I added the tree after sponging in a skyline and some snow drifts.
 The tree comes from the Christmas Breeze set, the Bird Feeder, pair of birds and bird from Birdsong 1. A few small trees are multiple part stampings from one small tree in Mini Tall Trees .









Then I reversed the masking to stamp around the outside. This Pine Branch & Pinecone are by Rubber Stamp Tapestry.
 I added Distress Pine Needles around the edge.







 Because I thought it a little too dark, I repeated the process, this time stamping the branch & pinecone in second generation stamping, and adding less inking around the edge.


 I also used Rubber Stamp Tapestry stamps for the third card, from a set called Cardinal in Holly.

 I drew a circle in pencil as a guide, then stamped the Holly branch in first & second generation imprints around that, then added the berry sprig using Versafine Clair in Glamorous. Edged the card with Pine Needles again. After I'd assembled the card, I added dots of Liquid Pearls in Garnet to the berries.
 The Bird & Branch comes from Card-io Christmas Scenery 2.
 The sentiment is a Phill Martin one.

Christmas Card Club #3- Angels or Fairies.

This fortnights challenge was set by GranMargaret, and she wants us to use Angels or Fairies. I don't have any angel stamps in my stash- apart from a set of tiny ones from Card-io-, but I do have fairies. Lots of fairies.

 My scenes were inspired by this card on Pinterest, which unfortunately has no name or blog attached to it, so I can't provide credit to them.


 

I cut the masks I used myself from Stencil material, which I bought from E-Bay. The circle used a die, the outer circle from a Crealies Patchwork die set. The Bell & tall arch were cut on my Silhouette.

I cut two sizes of the arch, but in the end used the larger one, which is roughly 7" x4".

I used my much loved Adirondack pads for all the inking, and Versafine Clair in Nocturne for most of the stamping.
 I stamped the moon stamp in Adirondack Aqua, and blended a pink, pale blue and medium blue for the sky. All the hills were inked in using Adirondack Stonewashed.The tall tree has Liquid Pearls in Peacock & Garnet as baubles. An acrylic star added to the top. The Fairy, Fairy Fir Tree (2) & Moon all Lavinia Stamps. The treeline was created with Card-io stamps,Mini Tall Trees. The single tree is from a Visible Image set, Peace, Love Hope. Greeting from a Crafters Companion set, Festive Sentiments.

 The small snowflakes are from Card-io,an older set called Winter Flurry. I stamped them in Versamark, then added WOW! Opaque Bright White EP. This is an A4 folded cardstock base.




The inking was done the same way on this bell shape, and the stamps used here are all Lavinia stamps, Fir Tree, Fairy chain (small), and Moon. The sentiment is from a Phill Martin set, Scribbled Christmas Petite Sentiments. The fairies & the sentiment were stamped in Clair Twilight.
I outlined the bell with a pale blue gel pen, then went over that with a Gelly Roll Clear Star pen. The card base is a 7" square scallop.This one also has embossed snowflakes, but hard to see in the pic.
 Stickles instead of  Pearls used for the Baubles.
 I guess I could call this one Rockin' around the Christmas Tree!

Final card, and this one uses the same tree as the first one, Fairy Fir Tree 2, just not fully stamped. The fairy, Midsummer Night is the same one too. Again some small Card-io trees from the first set used to stamp a treeline. Same liquid Pearls used, and this time the sentiment is from a Hobby Art set, Winter Wishes. 7" card blank used again. Winter Flurry stamps used for the snowflakes, heat embossed as before.

Thought you might like to see how much mess I can create!

Entering these into :
A Perfect Time to Craft Challenge.
Winter Wonderland Challenge 
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge 
Crimbo Crackers 
Crafty Creations Challenge

Christmas Card Club #2- Cute

 Second challenge of the year, and this theme has been chosen by Sylvie, who wanted us to make cute cards.

I went for cute snowmen- although I do think the one on the far right may be a tad more sinister than cute!

The first pair use a really old stamp- I know he's called Scribble Snowman, and used to be a wood mount, and made by Funstamps.
 He was stamped and masked, then I stamped a tree from Visible Image Peace Love Hope Christmas Set.The medium tree is also from this set.
 The snowman was coloured with Prismacolor pencils. I sponged some hills, then added a treeline with stamps from Card-io Christmas Scenery 1.The deer is also Card-io, set called Deer Deer.
 The sleigh and star trail are by Inkylicious. The sentiment from a Crafters Companion set, Christmas Sentiments.
 Sky was sponged in using Distress Inks in Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire.

These next pair are both Impression Obsession Snowmen- really not sure about the mouth on the taller one- definitely looks a bit creepy to me!
 Both were stamped onto OHP film- I bought a couple of boxes really cheap when our Staples was closing down- then glitter added on the reverse. Must admit, the stamping platform is great for this, as the stamps tend to slip a little normally when hand stamped.
 The treeline is from the Visible Image set mentioned earlier, as is the lone tree. In the one on the left, the Santa& Sleigh are also from that set, the other uses the Inkylicious one again.

Final two, and back to the Scribble Snowman, again stamped on film and glittered.The Visible Image treeline used again, and the Indigo Blu large tree.


I'm also going to enter this into the
Crimbo Crackers Challenge. 
Winter Wonderland Challenge. 
Christmas Cards All Year Round.
Sparkles Christmas Challenge.
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge 
ABC Christmas Challenge 

WOYWW #499- The Full of Christmas Dinner Edition

Yep, 'cos we are. Full of Turkey, stuffing, sprouts, Pigs in Blankets, and probably most of all, cake. Joining Mrs Santa, aka Julia, over at The Stamping Ground, for the last WOYWW of this year! New Year, and the massive 500 for us all next week.
 Well, no crafting done, it's all about the crafty pressies this week. Santa did bring me a Big Shot, as a replacement for my poor 'Bug.














He also got me a hard case for my Prismacolour pencils. I'd have bought the bigger box if I'd known how much I was going to like them, but I went with the mid sized tin, and buying extra colours left me with no way to store them safely.

I also got a TH Travel platform, here it is alongside it's big brother for comparison.

A few stamps also appeared in my pressies, two Lavinia and one Card-io.

  A plush Baby Dragon, guarding my mug which reads 'Witches Brew' on it,lol.

Some crystal obelisks and a stand for them. They're about 2" high.

And a cauldron for my desk! It's quite heavy, being cast iron.

  
This one not a Christmas pressie, - Doug bought himself a new Gaming monitor, so I get his old one. Quite a bit bigger than my old one,feels like it's almost on my lap!
 I hope everyone had a fab Christmas Day, and can have a nice relaxing Boxing Day today.
To everyone going out to celebrate the New Year, have a fun, safe evening, and Happy New Year to you all.
 Which just leaves.....And Finally........

Because we all know how true this is! I know last year in Tesco, one side of an aisle had reduced price Christmas stuff, and the facing shelves had Easter Eggs!

Christmas Card Club Challenge #24- All Wrapped up!

Sorry ladies, completely lost track of what week it was.  This fortnights challenge is set by Carol, and she chose the theme 'All Wrapped Up'. I've taken a bit of  a liberty with the interpretation here, as I think I'm overflowing with Christmas cards this year, so I've made a bunch of gift tags!

  I ended up making 7 designs, in a pretty random number for each. The tags are more or less 3" square. I used a lot of off cuts to make these, so there is a little variation.

 This one uses a Holly stamp from Lavinia Stamps, stamped in Versafine Clair Rainforest, then I added  Stampendous Crystal Embossing Powder over them and heat set. Then Liquid Pearls in Garnet for the berries.
 The sentiment comes from a Hobby Art set, Winter Wishes. That was stamped in the same green ink, but not heat embossed.

The Bells come from a Card-io set called Merrily on High.
 I stamped the first bell in Gold Encore Pigment ink, masked it, then stamped the second. Heat embossed both then with the same Crystal EP.

The sentiment is from a Crafters Companion set.

Afterwards I added the holly sprigs using an old Rubber Stamp Tapestry set.
 I used the Garnet Liquid Pearls for the berries again too.












 Quite a lot of Card-io stamps used for the tags, this one is called Christmas Greenery. Stamped in Versafine Spanish Moss, heat embossed with the Crystal EP, and then the sentiment stamped in Versafine Majestic Green. I added  White Opal Liquid Pearls to the Mistletoe Berries.

 Another Mistletoe design, this time using a Lavinia Stamps Mistletoe Branch. I stamped this one in Olympia Green, added the Crystal EP, then stamped the greeting in the same colour. The same Opal White Liquid Pearls used for the berries too.

 Christmas Trees next, and these are from a Visible Image set, and I used the medium one once, then the small one was stamped in both first & second generation images, using Versafine Olympia Green.
 For these I used a Stampendous EP called Rainbow Sparkle, and although it doesn't show in the photo's, it makes it look like the trees are covered in lights.
 I added a tiny acrylic star to the top of each tree. The sentiment here is from a Phill Martin set,Scribbled Christmas Petite.

This was the biggest batch I made. All Card-io/Majestix stamps, the branch is a partial stamping of a tree from the Christmas Breeze Collection. I stamped in Clair Rainforest, first and second generation images.  I added a mix of baubles from the two sets,Zendangles and Bells & Baubles, using Versafine Majestic Blue and Deep Lagoon. The strings were drawn in with a very fine Micron pen.Sentiment again from the Crafters Companion set.The branch and baubles were heat set with the Crystal EP.

Last set used two Card-io/Majestix snowflake sets, Winters Kiss and Winter Flurry.Stamped in Encore Metallic Blue, and heat set with WOW! EP in Glacier. Sentiment again from the Hobby Art set, and stamped in Versafine Majestic Blue.